Katie & Chris’s Wedding

Tasteful, classy, and quite stunning—Katie and Chris’s wedding was beautiful. This couple was so happy and relaxed all day, and every aspect of this wedding was carefully considered. Both the wedding and the reception were at the Chattanooga Country Club and it was perfect. The flowers for this wedding were absolutely spectacular. Katie’s cousin is a florist (Deb from Billeann Flowers & Gifts) and brought flowers in a truck all of the way from Baton Rouge and did the arrangements in Katie’s mom’s house. I’ve never seen such large and unusual arrangements. They used tropical flowers and it was fabulous. Shooting this wedding was so much fun with such wonderful people and beautiful details everywhere we turned.

I hope you enjoy Katie & Chris’s wedding and story…

How did the two of you meet?
A mutual friend, who was one of our bridesmaids.  She went to High School with Chris, and then college and graduate school with me.  We all met up in Knoxville one night in 2004, and after talking to him for a little while, I took his phone, put my number in it, and told him to call me.  He waited 2 weeks.  He’s lucky I answered!

Describe the proposal.
I was at the beach with 2 of my good friends.  We had gone out shopping for the day, and little did I know he had worked it out to drive all the way to the beach with his best man and propose!  My friends were texting him all day, working out details, and delaying me as much as possible.  When we arrived home, there were roses leading up the stairs to the house, each with a different slip of paper describing a quality about me or our relationship that he loved.  Inside, he had brought every dress I own from home (I always said I wanted to look nice when we got engaged!) and laid them on the bed, ready for me.  I changed quickly and rushed down to the beach, where he was waiting for me with more roses, a ring, and of course the best man filming everything.  We talked, he asked, and of course I said yes!  It was a very special proposal because not only was it at the beach (the first place we vacationed together and also our family’s vacation home), but our very dear friends were there to celebrate with us.

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
Katie: BY FAR the flowers!  They were done by my cousin, Deb, who is a florist in Baton Rouge. She worked for 5 days solid, and the result was simply amazing.  But there really wasn’t anything about the wedding I didn’t love!  So many dramatic elements in a basically traditional wedding.  I loved it.

Chris:  The entire wedding was as close to perfect as it could have been.  The Photo-booth was a huge hit and it really provided us with a lot of very candid snapshots of most of the people that were at our wedding.

How did you decide on your dress?
I was never a girl who dreamed about a dress.  I swore I would never wear strapless, and what did I end up buying? Strapless.  I tried on a few, and this one just looked the best.  My mom and mother in law were there, and we all just decided consensus-style that it was the best one.  There was no ah-ha! moment, but I loved it then and at the wedding.  Kendra at Ever After Bridal was amazing to work with – she really helped me pick out the best dress for me!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Katie: Just one??  I actually had such a great time because I was so relaxed.  I think I freaked some of my bridesmaids out!  Getting to spend the day with them was very special.  But I think the ceremony, with our friend Jeff as the pastor, was really special.  It felt so tailored to us because he knew us, and not a standard generic ceremony.  Yet it still had traditional elements.  It was very “us,”  we laughed and smiled together, and it really felt like just the 3 of us in the room.  A perfect wedding: intimate ceremony still witnessed by all your friends and family.

Chris: I agree with Katie on most of those things.  Jeff was fantastic and getting to spend time with my groomsmen was also very special.  However, the most memorable moment for me was when I first saw Katie in her dress with her dad about to walk down the aisle.  It was a moment that I will never forget, she just looked so amazing and I knew that she was about to make me the luckiest man in the world.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
Katie:  Chris is the most kind, generous person I have ever met.  He never ceases to amaze me with his ability to give himself to people, me included.  He loves me and all my silly quirks, has been flexible with my rigid career and life, and has been my best friend  and favorite companion for the past 6 years.  I can’t wait for 100 more years of fun and adventures!

Chris: Katie is my best friend in the world and the one person who really challenges me in every way imaginable.  I love how dedicated she is and how hard she has worked to get to where she is.  I am so proud of her for accomplishing what she has done.  She continues to amaze me everyday with what she can do.  She makes me a better person and I love her for that.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
One week after we returned from the honeymoon, we closed on a house and moved to Birmingham, AL.  I am starting my residency in Family Medicine, so we will be here for at least 3 years.  Chris is looking at going to physical therapy school while we’re here.  Whatever the future brings, I know we will have fun together – we’ve practiced for years to get that part perfect!